Sabrina Sampere — Harbour and Urban Scene (from life, 1998) — Charcoal

The activity of a harbour and its urban surroundings, captured in charcoal strokes that alternate precise lines with blended areas.

Sabrina Sampere and drawing

Sabrina Sampere (Sabadell, 1975) graduated in Fine Arts in Barcelona in 1998. Her visual language draws on figuration. In this drawing, dated that same year, she brings together the boat and urban movement through the contrast between dense strokes and lighter lines.

The rhythm of the city

The composition has two narrative planes. In the foreground, a boat's deck and its ropes, cylinders and structural elements are drawn with dense, dark charcoal strokes that anchor the eye. Behind a wall or quayside lies the urban scene: cars, pedestrians and commercial signs, including a partially legible “NAUTIC...”, sketched with a lighter, atmospheric line.

Sampere uses both sharp charcoal lines to define the boat's structure and blended shading, made with a stump or a finger, to suggest shadows, movement and smoke in the street. Grey and silvery tones evoke the damp light of the harbour.

Technical details

• Artist: Sabrina Sampere.
• Title / subject: View of the Harbour and Urban Traffic.
• Date: 1998, dated beside the signature.
• Medium and support: Charcoal on paper.
• Dimensions: 56 × 40 cm.
• Signature: Signed “Sabrina Sampere” and dated “98” at the lower left.
• Condition: Good. The paper has slight natural toning with age, with no obvious moisture marks in the image.
• Inspection period: 30-day return period to inspect the work in person.

The Taller Note

The drawing has a film-noir atmosphere, suggesting a busy, noisy harbour. The static solidity of the boat in the foreground contrasts with the movement of the cars behind.